Culturosity

Here is a chutney playing motorcycle. Or is it a motorcycle playing chutney? On Saturday night I witnessed one of the most amazing events evar - an illegal bike meet, Island Style. The rain put a damper on the festivities, but we were still able to see some crazy long wheelie action, and a couple drag races. And it wouldn't be completely Island Style if we didn't see a fire-breathing Honda Civic, a bunny-hopping Nissan Patrol, and lots of older men in Michael Jackson-esque jackets.

The highlight of the evening was some guy named Mikey riding a Hayabusa (basically a two-wheeler Suzuki Swift) getting his ass repetitively handed to him by some other guy named Horse.

Lovers of Male Bravado, rejoice.

Kerrybolo sent me these 100 Reasons to fire the PNM. Warning - LOTS OF LOUD, ANGRY ALL CAPS!

Be sure to check out more Breaking News, or check out govtt.org to sound off on the Manning administration's job [not so] well done.

The Trinidad & Tobago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is hosting an Adoption Drive on Saturday 14th April at the shelter - 11 Mucurapo Lands, St James. The purpose of the drive would be to ensure that the animals living there find new homes, allowing the TTSPCA to assist many more animals who are currently victims of neglect.

To offer your assistance or make a donation, contact the shelter at 868.622.1367/868.752.0374.

Sheldon "Crazy Catholic" Narine and his gang of raving thespians present Beauty and the Beast at Queen's Hall, from March 29th to April 1st. Tickets are regularly priced at $100, but you can purchase tickets from (get this) any member of the Rotary Club of Maraval for a specially discounted, one time only, "as is you" price of $85. Half the proceeds will go to the charity projects of the Rotary Club of Maraval, including the Woodbrook Learning Centre for disadvantaged teenagers.

If you don't have any text message buddies at the Rotary, you can pick them up at Paper Based at The Normandie. This show is suitable for all ages, so come out and support a good cause.

I've been getting these sad little notices about what I'm sure is an amazing project:

Caribbean Arts village in conjuction with Marielle Studios presents "Jazzy Wednesdays", April 4th 2007. Please see attached flyer. Please call 625 2843 or 468 5234 for further info.

I didn't attach the flyer as it's not to be taken seriously - way too many different fonts and colours going on for one notice. The Caribbean Arts Village is at #1 de Verteuil Street in Woodbrook, and Jazzy Wednesdays (pretentiously billed as an evening of Visual Art, Music and Fine Wine) features Samantha Gooden, Jesse Ryan, Clint de Coteau, Jason Bishop, David Richards, Marcus Hypolite and others. There's going to be a band called "Incentions", and the show features a "semi-open mic segment."

The action kicks off at 8:00PM and costs $65 for Adults and $40 for Students. If all six of you reading this lend me $10 each, I promise to go check it out.

Gillian sends:

Songshine's April edition will take place at the Strand Theatre in PoS on Sunday April 1. It's a special presentation called The Word, in partnership with Relevant Theatre. The show will feature poetry, music, rapso and more. Celebrated author Earl Lovelace will read from his work, while Ataklan and OzyMajiq will kick off Raspo Month with their performances.

To mark World Poetry Day, which took place last week, some of the best poets featured at Songshine will take the stage, including Muhammad and Chike ‘Bukka Roots’ Pilgrim of rapso group Word Sound and Power, Songshine alumnae Ivory and Akilah Riley, and poet/activist Garbielle Hosein of 10 Sisters.

Columnist and author BC Pires will read his work and actor Michael Cherrie will present the poetry of Guyanese master Martin Carter. Circle of Poets member and two-time winner of the Best Village Poetry Competition Cheryll Griffiths will perform, as well as Songshine producer Gillian Moor.

Admission costs $50 and showtime is 6.30pm. Security for parked cars will be provided.

Info: 760-4655

For your viewing pleasure, a vagrant on Charlotte St. taking a swim. Turn up the volume for a true Trini reaction!

So everyone who faced the line for the London launch of the PS3 and bought one got a free 46" HDTV and a taxi to take it home.

I'm not impressed Sony - turns out they didn't let the lucky gamers actually keep the taxis.

Ms Chin referred me to these two amazing projects: We Feel Fine - an exploration of human emotion, and Lovelines - an exploration of human desire. Too advanced to explain, just click the links. Check out some more of collaborator Jonathan Harris' projects, including his just launched Universe. The dude is outta control.

thebookmann expresses his disappointment with the Jeans Art show last evening at the National Museum. Having spent so many years trying to understand and appreciate the various construction techniques, treatments, washes, and details that define an amazing pair of jeans, I was really looking forward to see what the artists involved were going to come up with.

Sigh. I guess if I was given a pair of ill-fitting "Made in Chinas" I'd probably tear the pockets off and turn it into a lampshade as well.

Aya Vision starts shooting their latest project this Friday, and would really really like it if you would be a part of their audience:

SPEAK, Trinidad and Tobago’s first performance poetry television show [...] will be hosted by rapso man, Wendell Manwarren, of the group 3 Canal. SPEAK brings mainstream attention to a flourishing underground poetry scene featuring local and regional poets giving their thoughts on a wide range of issues of personal and national importance. Each half hour show will feature new artists alongside established icons of poetry and music, including Leroy Clarke, Brother Resistance, Levi Myaz, King David, Cecelia Salazar, Stanton Kewley and Ceteswayo Murai.

Audience members are asked to be seated by 6:30PM, taping starts at 7. Filming continues every Friday and Saturday for the next three weekends at the Woodford Cafe carpark on Woodford Street, Newtown. For more info contact Aya Vision at 868.624.5562/868.716.0988 or email gfranco3[at]gmail[dot]com.

According to this article in the New York Daily News, a gang of raving lunatics launched a campaign this week to have a neighbourhood in Manhattan officially renamed Little Britain. To help build the movement they've enlisted the help of notables such as Joss Stone (she of the fake yankee accent), Richard Branson (a Space Invader) and Mike Myers (a CANADIAN). Nice moves, England - I guess it totally slipped your mind that the whole Little Britain thing is so over, what with that whole American Revolution and all.

This only starting to make the word-of-mouth rounds around the place and before too long you'll start hearing it on the news. There is an extremely high degree of counterfeit SINGLE dollar bills spreading like a virus in the country. I confiscated 5 bills from my 9 year-old daughters over the weekend. I told the people at the office and they started checking... one guy got one from a grocery and a girl had five she got from Pennywise. They're printing it on 1 dollar notes because they're never checked. Here's what to look for at a glance:

• The serial number - biggest giveaway - is in blue, not red as is all the other denominations
• The silver thread is hot foil-stamped onto the fake, not made into the woven paper/cotton substrate of the original
• The watermark leaves a noticeable mark as it is pressed onto the fake, not created into
  the woven paper/cotton substrate of the original

Not at a glance, but held up against the light:

• The watermark of the fake is a Scarlet Ibis, the original is a Coco Rico
• Next to the watermark is "T&T1", noticeably different from the original
• Diagonal line impressions on all four corners of the fake where the value of the bill is printed. On no other denomination is this present
• The silver thread "CBTT1" is thinner on the fake.

There are other differences you can spot when you compare the two. Do this right now, pull out your wallet and make a quick spot check. If you find it, carry it into the bank and request if there are supposed to be new bills in circulation. If they say no, turn over what you have to them. Generally the public is notified of newly circulated bills with whatever differences. I attached a pdf for you to scope out. Look at it, then check your money! Tell everybody else!

I have some key friends high up in the banking and finance sectors looking into this for me. So far it seems like news to them; they found some in their wallets too. We're not sure if Central Bank has released new notes but given that they always inform us in advance, this seems unlikely. If any of you is able to verify this, please share the knowledge. When I have more, I will update.

Who are your friends and how high are their chairs? Do not panic, you have not been conned.

I've wanted to see this one for quite some time, and had pretty much resigned myself to 'Movie Zone'-ing it. Apparently it is a post-Spanish civil war fairy tale about a young girl who, discontented with her tumultuous family life, discovers a magical world populated by mythical creatures in her backyard. Despite that seemingly innocent description, life in this mythical world can be nasty, brutish, and short - fantasy is no escape from reality, even in the movies. This film is a work of art with an original theme and is highly recommended, but [as with many SFC films] it is dark and upsetting.

The film starts at 8:15PM, but come early to see an interview with the director - and to get a good seat, as i suspect this will be a popular one.

Feel free to check out some reviews.

If all this cricket is boring you to bits, be sure to check out the Jeans Art Exhibition on at the National Museum, starting today:

On Wednesday 21st March 2007, the exhibition “Jeans Art” will open at the National Museum and Art Gallery at 6:30 p.m. The exhibition will feature the results of a project sponsored by Radical Designs in which the fashion house commissioned several local artists to
make contemporary artwork from a pair of jeans. As part of the Radical Designs philosophy, the merging of business innovation and creative enterprise can be viewed as an ideal means of harnessing a positive relationship with the community at large.
These works will be auctioned at the opening of the exhibition on Wednesday evening, and the proceeds from the auction will go the Shaype project of the Rotary Club of Maraval. The Shaype (School for Holistic Action for Young People’s Empowerment) Project has become the umbrella under which the Rotary Club of Maraval provides several programmes, including music tutoring and family counseling services, to address some of the critical social problems facing the youth. The artists who will show work at the Radical Design’s Jean’s Art exhibition 2007 are:

Dave Williams , Paul Kain, Lesley-Ann Noel, Sarah Chong Sing, Sonja Dumas, Suzanne Nunez, Richard Rawlins, Terrance Smith, Christian Alexis, Rhoda Gayadeen, Jacelle Alexander, Gabriela Joseph, Kwynn Johnson, Lauralin Maynard

I like Kwynn's work, and am looking forward to see what kind of magic she works with the denim.

Say hello to Andrew Flintoff. This guy is amazing. A friend of mine referred me to this AP article - turns out dude got so messed up on Friday night that he had to be rescued by hotel workers after taking out a pedal boat and capsizing it in the middle of the ocean. I totally understand your situation though bro, you gotta find a way to amuse yourself out there - I've seen the girls in Lucia.

Oh you British, your wonders never cease to amaze.

I went to check out a Cricket World Cup match on Monday. It was poorly attended, and I missed the morning session - turns out India scored a recording breaking 413-5 before lunch. With little to play for, the Bermudans still put on a good show. David Hemp scored an unbeaten 76, but the highlight was definitely this guy, Dwayne Leverock. He is the biggest cricketer i have ever seen - the man lives above a roti shop fer chrissakes. But he definitely gets an A for effort - bowl out a man here, take a catch there, take a stand in the wicket. Bermuda, you proper get yuh ass wash, but Culturosity salutes you. Small country, big passion?

I'd like to repeat my call for a cull on Church Leaders. While Ann Coulter is still facing global criticism over her recent comments, the Tobago Chapter of Religious Fanatics International is turning out some great gems.

Phillip Isaac, Archdeacon of Trinidad and Tobago, said: 'His visit to the island can open the country to be tempted towards pursuing his lifestyle.'

I'd trade an island full of bishops for a throbbing mob of Taiwanese photographers any day.

In light of his sold out MSG show on March 23rd (a few seats are still available for the second show), check out The Boy on the cover of Fader's Now Issue. Fader bigups to my boy Walshy Killa as well for the Black Chiney story.

Junk culture - it's the reason black boys fail:

Grown folks music...take a listen.

http://www.esperanzaspalding.com/

http://www.myspace.com/esperanzaspalding

Yeah, but it's ok if you playing the ASS.

I'm just passing this along - not quite sure why Fox was singled out. Is the assumption that ABC, NBC and CBS are any better?

From Soul Supreme:

Shawn - http://www.myspace.com/chappeezy

In light of the current Elton John controversy (long hard steups), check out this NY Times article regarding a recent (and controversial) Snickers advert.

The first large-scale trial of an HIV vaccine is set to begin in South Africa, it has been announced.

An image captures a feeling, a story shares a message, a movie becomes a movement. Media That Matters brings you 16 inspiring films by youth and independent filmmakers committed to changing the world, in 8 minutes or less.

Tribute to James Brown mixed by PB Wolf, J.Rocc & Egon. Tracks by, sampled by, and covering James Brown. Stones Throw Podcast #16 .... always free ....on Itunes & www.stonesthrow.com

Let's support Opio Sokoni and his new film. For you DC residents, his name my sound familiar - In 2002, he was the campaign manager for DC voter initiative Measure 62, treatment versus jail. Opio has a new film addressing negative black media images entitled Turn Off Channel Zero. Check out the trailer.

Long but definitely worth the read. About the gradual decline and , some say, imminent death of the Source magazine. As told by Reginald Dennis, music editor from the days when the Source was the shit.

The Greatest Story Never Told

Slate has the history of the vibrator in slide show form. Here are a few highlights:

• Vibrator innovation was a driving force behind the creation of the small electric motor.
• Hamilton Beach, patented its first take-home vibrator in 1902.
• The vibrator was the 5th electrical appliance to be introduced into the home. By 1917, there were more vibrators than toasters in American homes.
• Vibrators came back into the mainstream in the 1990s, thanks to the Reagan administration. With the public health threat of AIDS looming, Surgeon General C. Everett Koop mailed out a list of safe-sex options to every household in the land in the late 1980s. Vibrators were on it.

This is probably one of the most inspirational articles regarding African womens' plight against genital mutilation, forced marriages, and rape that I've read in quite some time. I hope you all find this article equally inspirational and refreshing.

Marc Lamont Hill gives his take on the current state of Hip Hop, and suggests some explanations for its decline.

This was written at the end of 2004, however it's a good read for those of you tryna do it in the music biz.

Never have so few companies controlled so much of the music played on the radio and for sale at retail stores. At the same time, there are more bands and more ways to discover their music than ever. Music seems to have split in two - the homogenous corporate product that is spoonfed to consumers and the diverse independent music that finds devoted fans online and at clubs across the country.

BEFORE THE MUSIC DIES tells the story of American music at this precarious moment. Filmmakers Andrew Shapter and Joel Rasmussen traveled the country, hoping to understand why mainstream music seems so packaged and repetitive, and whether corporations really had the power to silence musical innovation. The answers they found on this journey–ultimately, the promise that the future holds–are what makes BEFORE THE MUSIC DIES both riveting and exhilarating.

Critically acclaimed and nationally recognized, the "Boys of Baraka" brilliantly captures the hardship and harsh journey a nation of inner-city youth are facing today. It's amazing to see how quickly positive change can take place with the right environment, and how tenuous progress can be for at risk youth. If you haven't heard anything about this movie, check out the

Trinidad and Tobago’s roaring economy has almost reached full-capacity, and now threatens to burst. Without reining in the inflation rate and loosening its artificial peg to the U.S. dollar, valuable gains in Trinidadian and Tobagonian international trade could be wiped out. The economy desperately needs diversification away from dependence on energy sector, and in addition to hiking interest rates, other measures, such as better fiscal policy management and the adoption of a more appropriate exchange rate, should be embraced. Read the Council on Hemispheric Affairs' full release here.

Check out the trailer to my boy's movie and give him some feedback on the messageboard. Mixtress X is a documentary on the life of female DJs directed by Dante Kaba.

A great documentary about the 'Lost Boys of Sudan' - worth checking out.

Very interesting article on the economic activities in SA. There are over 42,000 black millionaires down there.

Britain has launched a new online exhibition of three centuries of archives tracing the history of the British Caribbean. Read about it here, and browse the Caribbean Studies archive here.

Interesting article in Investor's Business Daily exploring the Jamaat al-Muslimeen's al-Qaida's connection:

The number of Bakr's followers is said to be growing, along with the number of kidnappings, murders and bombings in Trinidad. And fears are growing within the Department of Homeland Security and FBI that Trinidadian jihadists could train and export terrorists to strike the U.S.

To my associates in the US, please try to check out the new film by the folks over at Sowa Entertainment:

Dear friends, filmmaker associates, and audiences who have seen or heard about the award winning feature film, “My Brother” starring Vanessa Williams. This is to let you know the film is opening as well as being tested by Hollywood. The stakes are high because the Studios do not believe that audiences will want to see this powerful family film that celebrates the positive qualities of African-Americans with honesty and integrity.

Rarely does an audience get an opportunity to make a change in what Hollywood produces for them to see. How many times have we heard and said to ourselves- “Why can’t they make better movies for us, instead of the stereotyped same old, same old films”. Now you actually have the opportunity to change things, change what kind of films Hollywood makes for you.

Going or sending others to see “My Brother” during the test period, can make that change. This critical opening and test starts on the weekend of Friday March 16 and extends through the weekend of Friday March 23, seeing the film beyond the first two weeks into the following months or on DVD will not have any effect on this critical testing period.

Make a difference. When we pull together we are strong. Supporting and getting others to come to see “My Brother” a film which champions the humanity, not the stereotyped image of African-Americans will let Hollywood know in the only way they value and understand, people in the theater. If it makes money at the box-office, they will change. It is as simple as that. Make a difference, support for change!

To see the movie trailer and video clips or to know more about “My Brother” you can access us on the Internet:

YouTube - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzfVXAFuMdE

Myspace - www.myspace.com/mybrotherthemovie

Official Site - www.mybrotherthemovie.com

PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD

1. Large, loft-style apartments in New York City are well within the price range of most people-whether they are employed or not.
2. At least one of a pair of identical twins is born evil.
3. Should you decide to defuse a bomb, don't worry which wire to cut. You will always choose the right one.
4. Most laptop computers are powerful enough to override the communications system of any invading alien society.
5. It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts: your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.
6. When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your bedroom will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.
7. If you are blonde and pretty, it is possible to become a world expert on nuclear fission at the age of 22.
8. Honest and hard working policemen are traditionally gunned down three days before their retirement.
9. Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their arch enemies using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gasses, lasers, and man-eating sharks, which will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to escape.
10. All beds have special L-shaped cover sheets that reach the armpit level on a woman but only to waist level on the man lying beside her.
11. All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French bread.
12. It's easy for anyone to land a plane providing there is someone in the control tower to talk you down.
13. Once applied, lipstick will never rub off-even while scuba diving.
14. You're very likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.
15. Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German or Russian officer, it will not be necessary to speak the language. A German or Russian accent will do.
16. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window in Paris.
17. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating, but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.
18. If a large pane of glass is visible, someone will be thrown through it before long.
19. If staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises in their most revealing underwear.
20. Word processors never display a cursor on screen but will always say: Enter Password Now.
21. Even when driving down a perfectly straight road, it is necessary to turn the steering wheel vigorously from left to right every few moments.
22. All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going to go off.
23. A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.
24. If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you meet will know all the steps.
25. Police departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned a partner who is their total opposite.
26. When they are alone, all foreign military officers prefer to speak to each other in English.

Dr. David Bratt laments the perceived 'colonisation' associated with the absurd requirements imposed on fans attending the current Cricket World Cup games. Dr. Bratt was my paediatrician, so I guess that qualifies him to speak authoritatively on the issue of Post-Colonial Attitudes In West Indies Cricket. Or something.

Courtesy of Trinidadian photographer Abigail Hadeed.

Sent to me by Marcus. Utter genius.

I've decided to put all the relevant (and mostly irrelevant) stuff that I come across locally and internationally on a blog so that yalls can check it out. It's mostly for my own self-promotion, but maybe you could learn something or find out something interesting as I immortalise myself in prose.

Back to your regularly scheduled smoking jacket and slippers.